The first winter I went through with my '85 (2002-2003) the shifting was
VERY hard when cold and got better after driving it a bit.  The
following spring I changed the gear oil to 80-90w (not to Redline as it
wasn't available locally) and didn't have nearly the problem the
following winters.  I'm sure Redline MT-90 or MTL would've been a better
choice but apparently just putting in fresh oil is enough to feel a
difference.

Mike
Houlton, Maine

Nathaniel Poole wrote:
> I'm running my 80 Riviera just fine in this weather (handles the crappy
> roads far better than the wife's Toyota), but until it warms up it feels as
> if the tranny is filled with grease, I mean really stiff and hard to find
> first. It's not that cold, they say 20 below with wind chills the last few
> days, but I wonder if the last PO put in the right weight of oil in the
> tranny. Is this normal for these rigs? I've never noticed such a change in
> any vehicle I've driven before except when it hits something like 30 below
> or more.
>